Project #72548 - 2 Discussion Questions *$30 Max!!!**

27 Computer Tutors Online

#1 Respond to Josh’s answer to DQ #2. Say you agree or disagree and elaborate on your response.

The biggest advantages that come with buying commercial products instead of building and customizing proprietary systems are probably cost and support. Buying and implementing a system that is already commercially available means that the business procuring the system only has to pay for that. With building custom systems the organization not only has to purchase software and hardware and pay for implementation, but it must also pay for software to be tweaked or built from scratch prior to implementation. Additionally, support is more readily available for commercial products because many of these types of software have reputable companies behind them that can provide support and more people are generally familiar with these types of systems because they are known. With custom systems a company must rely on whoever designed the system or allow someone to take the time to investigate and learn the system well enough to know how to troubleshoot it. Another advantage is probably time associated with implementation since the design phase is much shorter for COTS products.

I will say that there are times where custom software is the best solution and custom software can have some very definite advantages of its own. Choosing between COTS and customized products is not a decision that can be made universally because the right choice really depends on the specific situation.

#2 Respond to Jessica’s answer to DQ #2. Say you agree or disagree and elaborate on your response.

Using a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) can be beneficial in some ways to the business organization, custom is always better because the software can be tailored to fit the business needs. One of the main benefits of using a an off-the-shelf software is pricing, setting up a custom system can result in double or even triple more than what an organization would pay for a custom software product. Pricing can help a business if they are just getting started or are on a budget. Another benefit in relation to price is trial periods, it's possible since it is an off-the-shelf product that trial period is available to the business owners. By using a trial period the business owners can test the software first and see if it will fit their needs and they can also save money but using it as startup and then purchase the full version once it's over. Trial periods will ensure that the business owners are fully satisfied with the product before making the decision to buy it outright. off-the-shelf products are also very quick to put into action or deploy, so if the business is needing a quick start up then an off-the-shelf software can get them up in running in the less time than a custom software would take to build. In the end, custom is the way to but there are benefits that COTS can provide any business.